CCID chief: RM21.4mil lost to Macau scams over eight months this year

PETALING JAYA: A total of RM21.4mil has been lost to Macau scams in the first eight months of this year, said Comm Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.

The Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director said that some 694 cases have been reported.

"Our department has been getting an increasing number of calls and reports from the public recently on this ever-present scam," he said in a statement on Saturday.

He said the public should be aware of the modus operandi of such scammers to safeguard themselves.

Comm Acryl said such scams usually start with a phone call from a scammer pretending to be an officer from a bank, government agency or debt collector.

He added that the scammer would then claim that the potential victim owes money or has an unpaid fine, often with a very short window of less than an hour, to settle the payment or face "dire consequences".

Comm Acryl said the victims are then threatened with 'arrest' if they failed to make the payments.

"Of course, no government agency or bank would ask for personal information or ask to settle payments via the phone," he added.

He urged the public to call the relevant agencies or banks to seek first clarifications when dealing with such cases.